Food security program launches in rural Emalahleni
South Africa is food-secure at national level, the country is still food-insecure at household level.
According to the United Nations, SA’s rural population is at just over 33% , a third of the country’s population.
While South Africa is food-secure at national level, the country is still food-insecure at household level.
But food security is about more than just having sufficient supplies. It also requires food accessibility, affordability, nutrition, and stability over time. And this is where the challenge lies.
“It is globally acknowledged that food-banking is mostly an urban solution addressing hunger, given where the role players within the food supply chain are concentrated. This result in inequitable access to food for those living in rural communities,” says Andy du Plessis, MD of FoodForward SA.
To address the growing crisis of food insecurity in South Africa long-term, South Africa’s largest non-profit food redistribution organization, FoodForward SA (FFSA) has successfully launched their 28th Mobile Rural Depot (MRD) in Emalahleni. This Mobile Rural Depot allows for vetted beneficiary organizations within and around the rural precinct to easily access and collect quality surplus food monthly.
“The Witbank Society for the Aged, Inkosinami, Mpumalanga Mental Health Society and Mpumalanga Youth Council are the first four beneficiary organizations that will benefit from FoodForward SA’s Emalahleni MRD. Previously, they travelled for one and a half hours to collect food provisions from our Johannesburg branch in Isando,” added Du Plessis.
To address food insecurity at scale, FFSA’s cost-effective food-banking model provides nutritious food each month to 1 850 beneficiary organizations that collectively reach more than 700 000 vulnerable people daily. “In recent years, our focus has shifted to include more vulnerable rural communities, as they have fewer resources and limited access to healthy food, “says Du Plessis.
Apart from the newest MRD in Emalahleni, FoodForward SA’s MRD programme in Mpumalanga also operates in White River and Goba, a town close to the Mozambican border.
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